Biking is popular in Roswell. People frequently use their bikes to commute to work and take recreational rides on weekends. Cyclists often share the road with cars when no dedicated bike lanes or trails lead where they want to go. Unfortunately, when drivers do not pay close attention, they can collide with bikers and cause catastrophic injuries or death.
If a motorist hit you while you or a loved one rode a bike and caused severe injuries, discuss your case with a diligent Roswell bicycle accident lawyer from Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group. We can explain your legal options and pursue compensation from the at-fault motorist.
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Why Work With Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group?
This is likely a stressful time for you and your family. We want you to know you have our support throughout the legal process.
Here are a few reasons to work with us:
- Prompt communication from start to finish. Uncertainty about a claim or lawsuit frustrates injury victims. Our team updates you throughout the process and answers all your questions.
- A legal team that understands. We have firsthand experience with the challenges our clients face. Our founder, Jennifer Gore-Cuthbert, made it her mission to support injury victims after she was in a car accident in college.
- A proactive approach to your case. The legal process can get complicated, but we don’t wait for the complications to come to us. We take a proactive approach to your legal strategy, anticipating and preparing for roadblocks, then fighting hard for the best results.
- Experience getting results. Our team knows how to go after the compensation you deserve. We have experience securing six-figure settlements and awards for our satisfied clients, and we’ll put our experience to work for you.
Types of Compensation You Could Recover After a Bicycle Accident in Roswell
Bicyclists face catastrophic injuries and losses during a crash with a vehicle. Our attorneys make a case for the damages you deserve.
Financial Damages
Your accident can leave you with expenses such as:
- Medical bills: Whether you require emergency care or long-term therapy, you can recover medical bills. Eligible expenses could include ambulance services, hospitalizations, visits to a doctor, medications, surgeries, diagnostic testing, physical therapy, and more. You can even recover anticipated future costs.
- Lost earnings: Your injuries may prevent you from returning to work immediately after the accident. We can help you recover your missed paychecks and get compensation for your injuries’ effects on your future earning ability.
- Bike repair and replacement: A bicycle could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to replace. You can get compensation for those costs.
- Other expenses: You can recover the cost of in-home health care services or childcare assistance if you require it during your recovery.
Non-Financial Damages
We can seek compensation for psychological and emotional losses too:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or another mental health condition
- Scarring and disfigurement
Seeking Justice When You Lost a Loved One
We offer our deepest condolences if you lost a family member to a bicycle accident. You deserve to spend time with your family, grieve, and celebrate your loved one’s life—not juggle the challenges of a legal case.
A wrongful death case holds the liable party accountable and recovers damages for your family’s losses. Our attorneys support you with compassionate attention and handle all the legal tasks for you. We explain your legal options, then help you navigate the path toward justice.
We help you seek damages for your loved one’s medical care and funeral expenses. You can also seek damages for your loved one’s lost earnings, your pain and suffering, and other damages.
How Our Attorneys Can Handle Your Bike Accident Case?
Let an attorney from our team take on your legal fight. We work proactively, dealing with insurance companies and other lawyers so that you don’t have to.
Our Roswell bike injury lawyers can:
- Advise you on a legal strategy that works for your unique circumstances
- Investigate your case and build evidence to demonstrate liability and your losses
- Negotiate a fair settlement
- File a lawsuit and submit the essential paperwork for you
- Handle litigation and represent you at trial if necessary
Our attorneys handle the daily tasks that come with an insurance claim or lawsuit. Whether it means reviewing important documents or taking calls with insurance adjusters, we manage the details of your case so you can focus on your recovery.
Our Attorneys Work on Contingency Fees
Dealing with a bicycle accident is expensive—and attorney’s fees shouldn’t add more troubling expenses to your plate.
Our team works on contingency, which means:
- You pay no upfront fees to get started.
- We receive attorney fees only if you recover compensation.
- Our fees are a percentage of your final settlement or award.
Common Bike Accidents in Roswell
Many auto-bike collisions occur when a motorist neglects to pay attention and does not see the cyclist. Traffic law violations also frequently cause accidents.
Common biking accident scenarios in the Roswell area include:
- Rear-end crashes: When a driver tailgates or follows a bicycle too closely, they may not stop in time to avoid a collision.
- Sideswipe crashes: When a motorist traveling in the same direction as a biker veers into their lane, the car may sideswipe the bike.
- Dooring accidents: When a person in a parked car opens their car door directly into the path of an approaching cyclist, the bicycle could hit the open door.
- Left-hand turn accidents: Accidents often occur when a driver making a turn fails to see a biker.
Regardless of how a bike accident occurs, an injured cyclist can work with our firm to recover compensation for their damages.
What Usually Causes Bike Crashes?
A bicycle accident lawsuit must prove what caused the crash.
Common causes of biking collisions include:
- Speeding: When motorists drive too fast, they may lose control of their cars and not stop in time to prevent a crash.
- Distracted driving: When a driver focuses on their phone, radio, food, or other distractions, they may not pay enough attention to the road around them.
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol: Drunk driving impairs a driver’s ability to focus, slows their reaction time, and affects their motor skills.
- Right-of-way confusion: Uncertainty about who has the right-of-way at an intersection might lead drivers to turn into a bicyclist’s path.
- Disobeying traffic signals or failing to yield: When a car driver travels through a red light or stop sign, they could strike a cyclist.
- Poor visibility: Sometimes, drivers cannot see cyclists in the dark or heavy rain.
Evidence in Bicycle Accident Cases
A bike wreck attorney will investigate to determine what caused the Roswell accident and if the car driver bears responsibility for the cyclist’s injuries. A persistent lawyer can visit the crash scene and comb through all evidence, paying particular attention to the police reports, medical records, and witness testimony.
America’s First Bicycle-Friendly Community Still Has Dangers
The League of American Bicyclists ranks Roswell, Georgia, as a bicycle-friendly community —and it was the first American city to receive this designation, according to Bike Roswell. Cyclists in Roswell enjoy many trails and routes, such as the Roswell Riverwalk Trail, Big Creek Greenway, and Big Creek Mountain Bike Park.
Georgia law protects bicyclists in Roswell when riding on designated paths or sharing the road.
Drivers must:
- Give three feet of clearance distance when passing cyclists
- Not drive or park in designated bicycle paths, which are for cyclists’ use only
Georgia law also allows cyclists to ride on the paved shoulder of a road. Additionally, bicycle paths should feature safe designs and appropriate maintenance for cyclists’ use.
However, drivers jeopardize bicyclists’ safety when they neglect their duty of care. A bike safety study from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) identified 5,834 bicycle crashes in the state over 10 years.
Of these:
- 63 crashes were fatal
- 77 percent resulted in injuries
The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Safe Streets study examined this problem. It found that half of pedestrian and bicycle accidents take place on roads where the speed limit is more than 35 miles per hour. Collector roads (which move traffic out of neighborhood streets) and arterial roads (high-density, higher-speed roads) are the most frequent sites of bicycle crashes in the area.
You can hold the at-fault driver liable for your bicycle accident. Our Roswell bicycle accident lawyers can help you identify the liable party and seek compensation.
What You Should Do After a Bicycle Accident?
The steps you take after a bicycle can significantly affect your case’s success—and your well-being.
We recommend you:
- Get immediate medical care. Even if you didn’t have to go to the emergency room right after the crash, get medical attention for any symptoms you develop. If you don’t get medical care promptly, the other party can argue that you made your injuries worse. They may even claim the accident did not cause your injuries.
- Avoid making a recorded statement. An insurance company could contact you after the accident and request a recorded statement. Decline to make this statement. The insurance company can use your words against you when they build their case.
- Keep important evidence. If you pay out-of-pocket for items or services because of your injury, you could recover these costs. If you have contact information for eyewitnesses to the accident, your lawyer can use this to gather testimony. Hang onto receipts, photos, relevant contact details, and other case-related evidence.
- Continue following your doctors’ orders. Your doctor may tell you to take certain medications, get rest, go to physical therapy, or take other steps for your case. You should do so. Again, the other party could look at your medical records and claim you neglected your care and worsened your condition.
- Get a case review. Our team offers free consultations. During this call, you can ask questions and learn more about your options and your next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions in Roswell Bicycle Accident Cases
An injury might leave you confused and overwhelmed. We work hard to respond to your questions promptly so that you have answers as soon as possible.
For now, here are some answers to common questions in bicycle accident cases:
Do I Have a Case After a Bike Accident?
You can file a claim or lawsuit if someone else caused your accident and injury. However, you may wonder: How do I prove the other party caused it? And does my injury qualify?
These are good questions—and you can get more answers by getting in touch with our team.
We use many sources of evidence to demonstrate a driver or another party’s liability. For example, we can use police reports, witness statements, surveillance camera footage, black box data, videos and images of the scene, and other information to show the defendant caused the accident
You must prove the accident caused your injuries and that you suffered financial and non-financial losses. Your losses could include medical bills or lost paychecks from days you missed at work. Our team can tell you more about whether you can seek compensation for your injuries.
How Much Money Could I Recover for My Bicycle Accident?
Several factors influence what you can recover in your claim or lawsuit, including:
- The seriousness of your injuries
- The extent of your damages
- The identity of the liable party
- How the accident and injury affect your life
So, let’s say that you incurred a traumatic brain injury after your bike accident and could not return to work for six months. Then, you had to take a lower-paying job because you could not perform the same tasks after your injury. This could mean thousands of dollars in lost earnings. You could generally seek a higher settlement or award based on these major challenges.
However, you shouldn't dismiss your chances of recovery just because you didn't have a catastrophic injury. Even those with moderate injuries could make a strong compensation case.
What Should I Expect From the Legal Process?
Often, we can work to settle your case through out-of-court negotiations. We work to secure a settlement that fairly compensates you for your damages. However, we can take your case to trial if the defendant refuses to offer a settlement that covers your expenses.
Many people ask if they will have to go to court. Even if we do file a lawsuit, we may not necessarily enter a courtroom. However, we’re prepared to represent you before a jury if necessary. That willingness will often force the other side to avoid the expense of a trial and settle the case for what our clients deserve.
Are There Any Deadlines for My Bicycle Accident Case?
Yes. The statute of limitations gives you limited time to file a lawsuit in Georgia. Bike accident victims generally have two years to file suit. However, you may have a different timeline depending on your case.
Reach out to Our Roswell Bicycle Accident Attorneys Today
If a motor vehicle hit you during your bike ride, you deserve compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial losses. Our Roswell bicycle accident lawyers work tirelessly to pursue appropriate compensation for you.
For your complimentary case review, contact us or call our Roswell office today at (404) 609-1724.
Roswell Office
295 W. Crossville Rd
STE 200
Roswell, GA 30075
(404) 609-1724
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